Description: When it comes to learning about wrestling, no book is going to be enough to teach you how to SLAM. You need the kind of hands on experience that a professional educator like Hayato Nekketsu is capable of providing. And while Aya and Natsu may not have known quite what to expect, they prove to be quick learners. (WINNERS: Aya and Natsu)
Wrestling is an art with a history stretching back through time. Throughout the ages, many noble souls have sought out mastery of the SLAM. Hayato is not one of those focused warriors, but through his dedication to all things athletic he has not neglected to familiarize himself with wrestling of several varieties, including the professional. And despite rumors to the contrary, any SLAMMING of the CWA's wrestling tutor was merely for the sake of proving to the fellow that Hayato did, indeed, know what he was talking about. But whatever might have happened, Hayato is now in a position to help provide positive instruction to those who are new to the wonderful world of wrestling.
Hayato's not entirely sure why he was directed to the locker rooms instead of the actual gym, but that's not a big deal. Since it's a special occasion, women being allowed in can be overlooked. There's equipment here that can be used, and a grudge match even broke out while he was getting changed in here earlier, so everything seems to be in order. And yes, changed. Hayato stands ready for battle in a red wrestling singlet, with the CWA logo in white on the chest and back. Or not exactly stands, as while he awaits his pupils he's currently doing some one-armed pushups. Not at all showing off for the camera that's already been set up, really.
Sakura is going to have a -big- surprise when Natsu gets back from this trip. The Ansatsuken prodigy is the one who had signed up Natsu against her will, and even though Natsu had initially resisted, and even tried to back out... Sakura was the one who convinced Natsu that, no, seriously, she's good enough to take on folks at a professional level despite never actually fighting on camera before.
When the cameras spot Ms Ayuhara walking through the door, she's irritably sifting her fingers through her hair. Stepping through the nigh-impenetrable odor of... let's say manliness... Natsu finds it necessary to screw her face up in distaste. Her irritation is clear, and that's the face the world will likely see labeled with her name for the weeks to come if the webcasts have anything to say about it.
She walked in wearing her Gorin volleyball jersey. But as soon as she sees Hayato showing off, Natsu pulls her jersey off, hanging it on a locker and striding forward -- her CWA singlet is colored almost identical to Hayato's, even though it's patterned towards her decidedly different dimensions and physique.
She's seen Hayato around the Taiyo campus, maybe once or twice. Definitely not like this though. Her irritation begins to fade as her sensitive nose gets used to the odor. "... I'm here. And... er. ... What do I do now?" she wonders aloud to no one in particular. Camera-shy? Well, that's obvious -- the neophyte fighter has no idea what to do now, and her cheeks are reddening to almost the same hue as the jersey she'd left behind.
The argument about whether or not Aya Hazuki would be allowed to keep her sword -- her weapon, her family heirloom, her *soul* -- during the somewhat unique circumstances of this week's Saturday Night Fights was... let's say "heated" because that gets the point across without going into extensive verbiage about the sort of pants-wetting terror Aya induced in a minor legal functionary of the corporation midway through the process. Unfortunately, their binding agreement with the CWA meant that the organizers -- no matter how far up the chain she went -- were adamant: despite her being a battousha who depended on sword-drawing to fight (mostly), the sword would have to stay behind.
In Aya's eyes, this would only rise to the level of a problem if she let it.
And so she went to a net cafe and she pulled her iPad out of her bag. And she ordered a caramel latte and a red bean bun, and she sat down, and there was a bit of a kerfuffle about what 'free wi-fi' meant between her and the manager, and then Aya Hazuki decided to have a mid-morning snack and do some research. It was actually quite interesting. Wikipedia was just the start. Then there were YouTube and FightTube videos, fan wikis, and in one instance a doctoral dissertation by someone in the Kinesiology and Sports Medicine department at Texas A&M. THAT one had required a few extra open tabs. There had been some scribbling of notes. And then the phone call.
"It's Hazuki. Yes, I need something out of one of the warehouses. Yes, I'm emailing you now." A brief pause. "No, I'm not kidding. Have it delivered by noon, please." Click.
Flash forward to now, when she comes walking into the locker room well after the other two participants in this fight have arrived. She is *not* wearing a singlet; she would be forced to concede on the sword after considerable debate but the idea of wearing some sort of... leotard... THING... was off the table from minute one. Considering the nature of her typical fighting 'costume', however, this isn't a big deal.
The two delivery guys wheeling in a crate the size of a choir room piano is sort of a concern, though.
"Ah, I see everyone's here. Please pardon me a moment." She gives a nod to the delivery men, who tip their hats and walk out. Aya, meanwhile, grips the top of the crate and flips it open, not caring where it lands; the heavy top slams into a locker with a loud *CLANG!* and then topples to the ground behind her, abandoned.
Inside the crate is a huge number of brand-new folding chairs, courtesy of Hazuki Amalgamated Steel.
Removing one of the chairs from the crate, the Japanese woman tests its weight, nods in satisfaction, and turns to Hayato and Natsu. "I have been told that these are the traditional weapon for armed combat among those who, quote, 'slam'. It shall have to do."
So that happened.
At Natsu's arrival, Hayato pushes off the floor with one hand, getting himself into a crouch and then springing to his feet. "Ah, Ayuhara-kun! Good to see you here." How does Hayato know who she is? Well, he wouldn't be a very good teacher if he couldn't recognize students? She doesn't even go to his school, you say? He takes his job very seriously. He claps her on the shoulder with one hand, not /quite/ hard enough to be painful. And then when Aya arrives he claps both hands together loudly. "Good, good, everybody's on time!" For the few folks in the lockerroom who weren't already paying attention to the scene that's obviously being filmed, Hayato's booming voice is enough to grab their attention. A good number of the wrestlers just continue lifting weights, though.
Hayato watches curiously as Aya opens up the crate, then nods in approval as the chair is withdrawn. "Ah, perfect. Anticipating the lesson! Those will come in handy." The table that's got tacks all over it and has been set on fire is part of the advanced workshop, thankfully. Hayato crosses his arms behind his back, and begins pacing back and forth in front of one of the banks of lockers, while looking in Aya and Natsu's direction. "So, do you two know why you're here?"
Natsu seems perplexed. Yes, she recognized him by -sight-, but... how did he--
Luckily for her, the teacher doesn't give her much chance to deliberate on how -he- knows -her-. Maybe the fight organizers told him, who knows? All she knows is that she just got clapped on the shoulder, and even five seconds afterwards, her shoulder still bears a red Hayato handprint.
She... seems a bit -more- perplexed as a crate arrives, bearing a lot of... folding chairs. Are those part of the show? Why are they in the locker room? What is going ON here? "... Is... is this -normally- how these events are supposed to proceed? I ... I was told to fight... here in the locker room, but... are we -sitting- now? How... how does this -work?-" She looks back at Aya, desperation in her eyes... she -seems- to have a clue, without the predatory efficiency demonstrated by Hayato. He may be a teacher... but at this point, Natsu expects Aya to have a clearer manner of speaking.
"... W-wait," stammers Natsu, stepping back so that her gaze can shift back and forth between Aya and Hayato. "D-Did you say -armed combat?- I thought this was -wrestling!-"
Slow on the uptake, this one may be.
"Ah, yes. That was my mistake too, Ayuhara-kun," Aya says carefully, in response to her teammate's curiousity about whether or not this was armed combat or, ahaha, 'wrestling'. Also why the sudden use of her name? Have they met before? There's a metallic *CLNK!* a few times as Aya hops the chair in her grasp up and down a few times, swinging it through the air experimentally with a heavy swish. She seems satisfied with this? In fact her level of calm detachment about the entire situation seems a little crazy, to be honest? Maybe Natsu can see some of that when the Hazuki heir turns her green-eyed gaze to the volleyball champ.
"You see, it would appear that this 'wrestling' is in fact an extended metaphor for combat as showmanship. It was quite fascinating to read about. Professional wrestling has quite a bad reputation as being 'fake' but in fact, many of its performers are highly skilled athletes because the dramatic movements require split-second timing and judgment to execute. Or so says Dr. Philip Hoffman, who wrote a quite interesting dissertation on the subject."
Then Hayato is asking the both of these young women (some younger than others) if they understand why they are here. He's even doing some pre-lecture pacing, proving that he really is one of the foremost educators of his time.
Aya carefully considers her answer.
Then she strides forward and attempts to swing the folding chair in her hands right at Hayato's head.
"Yes."
COMBATSYS: [Fireflight - Unbreakable] It is the kind of rock song that makes you feel invincible. "GOD I WANT TO DREAM AGAIN / TAKE ME WHERE I'VE NEVER BEEN / I wanna go there, this time I'm not scared... / Now I'm unbreakable, it's unmistakable / No one can touch me / Nothing can stop me..!" AYA HAZUKI is ready to SLAM!
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Aya 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: [P.O.D. - School of Hard Knocks] Pulse pounding, hard wailing. "WE FROM THE SCHOOL / THE SCHOOL OF HARD KNOCKS / WHO'S READY TO ROCK? (READY TO ROCK!) / ARE YOU READY TO ROCK?! (READY TO ROCK!)" Class is in session, kids! BURNING TEACHER HAYATO NEKKETSU is ready to SLAM!
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Hayato 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Aya
COMBATSYS: [Madonna - Who's that Girl] A silky feel-good pop song roams meandering as the tall schoolgirl is treated to the limelight. "You're spinning round and round / You can't get up / You try, but you can't! / (Quien es esa nina,) Who's that girl? / (Senorita, mas fina,) Who's that girl?" NATSU AYUHARA is ready to SLAM!
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Aya 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Natsu
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Hayato 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Hayato blocks Aya's Illegal Weapon.
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Aya 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Natsu
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Hayato 0/-------/-------|
As Aya lunges at him, Hayato shifts his stance, uncrossing his arms. His left arm swings up, blocking the strike so that the folding chair rebounds off of his forearm instead of his head. "Correct answer!" He grins widely as he shoves back toward Aya, trying to briefly create some room between them. "There's plenty to learn about wrestling but, as in so many things, enthusiasm is one of the most important parts!" So says Hayato Nekketsu. "There's plenty to learn about technique, but if you were tough enough to make it here in the first place, I say the best way to learn is through experience."
Hayato takes a step toward Aya. "While technically considered 'illegal', chairs are a traditional part of the wrestling experience, so you can go ahead and hang onto that. Of course, the core of wrestling is really about holds, strikes, and throws. And using your environment. Usually that's the ring, but not always." As he says that, Hayato reaches out for Aya's arm, easily capable of snaring her with one hand if he manages to close the grab. That's followed up by snapping around to whip her off her feet and into the bank of lockers.
Natsu continues glancing back and forth between Aya and Hayato. "This can't be happening..." And here Natsu had spent almost the entire week watching the wrestling team practice. Because she thought this was about -wrestling-. All that time... wasted!
Okay, not -totally- wasted, she rationalizes. But still.
Aya's description is met with a studious nod, as Natsu stops looking like an undergraduate newbie, and more like the fastidious student she is in classes. As Aya puts her work into practice... so Natsu walks over to the set of chairs. With cautious glances over to Hayato, she reaches for a chair, and hefts it over her shoulder. Natsu, it may be noted, is pretty strong. And in addition to studying the wrestling team... she's also studied the baseball team in great detail.
Hands wrapped tightly about the legs of the chair, she walks up behind Hayato as he's lecturing... and with no particular pretext, swings the chair at the teacher's back. You say she could have sheared it sideways and cut wind resistance out of the equation? Bah, details! The flat seatback is sent flying on its way to slam into Hayato's shoulders! Whatever! "Ikeeeeee!"
COMBATSYS: Aya has joined the fight here on the left meter side.
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Aya 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Hayato
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Natsu 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Hayato successfully hits Aya with Irish Whip.
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Aya 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Hayato
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Natsu 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Natsu has joined the fight here on the left meter side.
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Aya 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Hayato
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Natsu 0/-------/-------|
In reflecting on this moment later, Aya will realize what her problem was: she let go of the chair. She doesn't know much about pro wrestling, but she does know that in combat, you never let go of the weapon if you don't have to. When Hayato makes to grab her arm, she ditched the chair in order to position herself better to defend herself. She was continuing to think like a swordswoman and not like a wrestler, which isn't exactly a bad LIFE decision, but at least for the duration of the 4 seconds that follow, it's not the best life path.
This is why 1.) the chair falls to the ground and 2.) Aya flips over in the air, slamming into a locker before dropping to her feet in a crouch. That's gonna sting later, certainly.
"Right," she mutters. "Fight as performance. Need to remember."
She turns and looks at Hayato for a moment, wondering how Natsu's attempt to just brain him with the chair is gonna turn out with an almost academic expression of curiosity on her face, like she's taking notes.
Deciding that she needs to get back to those chairs, which are now positioned opposite Hayato from where she is right now, the Hazuki heir compromises: she tumbles toward the teacher in a cartwheel, looking to slam both of her feet into his shoulder blades. But if she does that, she doesn't keep rolling past; instead, she locks both ankles around his neck and suddenly inverts, pulling him to the floor and bringing her to a perfectly elegant standing position. Slam that, buster.
COMBATSYS: Hayato dodges Natsu's Illegal Weapon.
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Aya 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Hayato
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Natsu 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Hayato endures Aya's Rakurai.
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Aya 0/-------/----===|=------\-------\0 Hayato
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Natsu 0/-------/-------|
As Natsu swings at him, Hayato suddenly ducks into a tight crouch, letting the chair go swinging overhead. "The chair's a useful weapon, but remember to mix things up a bit!" Of course, while ducking did get him out of the way of the chair, it also makes it considerably easier for Aya to flip over him and drive both feet into his back. Legs tighten on his neck, but he doesn't resist or even try to use his arms to break his fall as he gets slammed down onto his back. "Oof. Good form. Showmanship is important."
He gets that out quickly, though, because Aya standing right above him provides a perfect position for him to grab both of her legs. Whether or not he succeeds, Hayato surges to his feet, but if he manages to grab and hold on he's taking Aya's legs with him, flipping her upside down. He doesn't just leave her to fall to the floor, though, no. He gets to a fully upright position, lifting Aya up even higher as he rears back... and then slams her into the floor.
COMBATSYS: Aya fails to interrupt Brutal Powerbomb from Hayato with Heavy Clothesline.
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Aya 0/-------/--=====|=------\-------\0 Hayato
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Natsu 0/-------/-------|
Natsu... had not anticipated swinging a chair to be so slow that someone could duck under it, especially not if the attack came from behind. But... that's why she needs this first bout, to really -begin- to understand how to fight!
It's also a relief to the young volleyballer, as... well, she doesn't =want= to hurt anyone, especially not in so violent a fashion. So when her chair swings over, she does hold onto it -- but sets it aside for now.
It's just as well, as it's when she's stepping aside that Aya cartwheels past. Grimacing, Natsu decides to wait it out a moment and see what's about to happen... and seeing what -does- happen, she considers that maybe she's spending too much time watching and not enough doing.
Ayuhara leaps towards the row of lockers, using the fixed position as a launching-off point for her to rush at Hayato. Dropping her shoulder low, she charges -- and then suddenly rises to her full height, swinging her hand in an open-handed slap, aimed at catapulting Hayato into the air just as he recovers from his attack on Aya. "ATTAAAACKU!" And maybe, just maybe... it'll be hard enough to send him crashing into something nice and noisy for the folks back home.
Well, at least Aya's engaging the mood.
It could just be that she'd underestimated Hayato's grip. She doesn't know anything about the man, after all, other than... he likes to wrestle? That doesn't mean anything, other than... he likes to wrestle. Aya's plan, once she had him on the floor, was that he would OF COURSE attempt to 'slam' her (whatever that means) and so she would... well, just sort of drop on top of him with both knees, more or less. It's not like she weighs a lot, but when you've got gravity on your side, is that really such a big deal? Unfortunately, Aya's attempt to kick free of Hayato's grip and get the drop on him doesn't quite work out because he doesn't actually let go.
As she's rolling away from the eventual point of impact and getting to her feet, the brown-haired swordmistress can be heard to mutter, "I can't imagine why this 'pro wrestling' is so popular with huge, brutish men that like to throw their weight around..."
COMBATSYS: Hayato interrupts Sliding Receive from Natsu with Heavy Clothesline.
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Aya 0/-------/--=====|=------\-------\0 Hayato
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Natsu 0/-------/----===|
Having to deal with two opponents at once isn't really a standard part of wrestling, though that doesn't mean it never happens. Can make for some exciting sports entertainment when it does, too. But Hayato's experience extends well beyond the ring; he's just finding it a lot of fun to get into the swing of things. That being the case, rather than straight up punching Natsu as she runs at him, Hayato runs right back at her, moving slightly off to the side so that his outstretched arm can slam into her collarbone while she's winding up for her attack. And then he just keeps running, clearing up a bit of room between himself and his opponents.
"Great, looks like we're all getting into the spirit of things!" If he heard what Aya was muttering, he has chosen to ignore it. "Now, the ring is a pretty good sized area, providing plenty of room for a run-up. Clotheslines, jumping kicks, all sorts of things you can do. So, let's see some ideas." He holds out his hand, gesturing for Aya and Natsu to come at him.
Natsu... is not fully into the zone yet. That trick had worked against Sakura, but against a much stronger opponent, Natsu finds herself at a wee bit of a loss. Her hand still finds purchase on Hayato, to some effect, but in exchange she takes the attack full on, knocking her backwards. Barely able to stand, she claps one hand to her collarbone, trying to use her knowledge of sports medicine to figure out if that severe impact actually broke anything...
Deeming herself okay, Natsu spares a glance at Aya. She wonders... are they supposed to be cooperating? They definitely would if this were volleyball, but... this is combat. But then... Hayato beckons them both to attack at once. "... Ah. I see. Thank you, sensei!" Ultimately, she takes Hayato's advice, considering that simultaneous attack may be a better plan of approach against someone of Hayato's skill, though. That's why she coordinates her timing with Aya, hoping to sneak in close and grab a hold of Hayato's singlet, twist sharply, and with any luck, her brute strength will be enough to lift him off his feet and slam him into the nearest locker! "Hraaaaaaah!"
"'Sensei'?" Aya echoes, glancing at Natsu, then at Hayato, then back at Natsu. She lives in Kyoto! She doesn't know these people. And Natsu is... a mountain of a woman. Is she a student? Scratch that: "Are you a _student_?" is what Aya actually asks out loud, trying to sound incredulous enough to make that sentence an apparent question without sounding SO incredulous that Natsu takes offense, but since the probability of those target zones overlapping is pretty high, the swordmistress probably should have used a thrown dart and instead deployed a bazooka.
RIP, teamwork.
So he wants them to use the whole room, huh? "Yeah, alright," Aya says out loud. "Running. Sure. Fine."
And that's when the swift-footed Hazuki hair takes off at a fast clip... going the wrong way? I guess? This is because she is actually running around the edges of the room, taking the long way around to Hayato as Natsu starts her potential powerbomb. Why? Because she needs to build up momentum for what she is GOING to do, which is to kick her way on to the lockers and literally start running across them, parallel to the floor, her be-tabi'ed footsteps making a horrendous *CLANGCLANCLANGCLANGCLANG* as she wire-fu's her way across the room and, once she gets close and Natsu has ideally slipped out of the way, basically launches herself AT Hayato, looking to enzuigiri Hayato right into the locker, HARD.
COMBATSYS: Natsu successfully hits Hayato with Audacious Slam.
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Aya 0/-------/--=====|===----\-------\0 Hayato
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Natsu 0/-------/----===|
COMBATSYS: Hayato blocks Aya's Big Boot.
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Aya 0/-------/--=====|===----\-------\0 Hayato
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Natsu 0/-------/----===|
Hayato starts slipping back as Natsu reaches for him, but she still manages to snare him before he can escape. She's definitely strong enough to wrench him around, and thankfully the CWA singlets are built to withstand the sort of stresses involved as he gets yanked right off his feet and slammed into the lockers hard enough to dent the doors. That's probably some damage that could just be banged right out, really. At least until Aya comes flying in before Hayato has had a chance to move. This time there's a definite sound of wrench metal as the locker doors start giving way behind him, leaving him a good couple inches into the bank of lockers.
The teacher reaches out one arm, slamming it down on the locker next to him as he shoves himself out with more metal creaking and a wide grin on his face. Now he's getting pumped up! "Perfect! But now, if you're going to wrestle, you've got to be sure not to neglect your throws!" And then Hayato kicks off the lockers, moving toward Natsu in a sudden blur of red. He swings around past and behind her, attempting to wrap both arms around her midsection. Should he succeed he starts lifting up and falling backwards with the intention of driving the student's shoulders into the floor.
COMBATSYS: Natsu blocks Hayato's German Suplex.
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Aya 0/-------/--=====|====---\-------\0 Hayato
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Natsu 0/-------/--=====|
Natsu certainly hadn't intended to rip the singlet -- the thought hadn't occurred to her! But she had in fact intended to slam Hayato into the lockers. That much is absolutely her doing!
She looks over at Aya like she'd just grown a second head. "Y-yes, why? I... he's a teacher at Taiyo, I see him sometimes when I --" Halfway into her explanation, Natsu realizes that Aya was just surprised at her being -young-, not -actually- questioning her educational credentials. Or lack thereof.
Mouth tightening into a thin line, Natsu turns her attention back towards the teacher in question. She nearly jumps out of her skin when he slams on the locker. Making more noise and damage on -purpose?- "R-right!" she stammers -- so forceful is Hayato's burning spirit!
And, true to form, she readies herself for a throw. She's getting picked up, she realizes -- and slackens for impact, just like she could see those nice-looking wrestlers doing in practice earlier in the week. She could tell that the wrestlers who did the best were ones who didn't tighten up for these suplexes, but those who stayed nimble.
Particularly, ones who kept their arms free, so that they could catch themselves on the floor rather than slam their heads into it. Does it hurt? Heck yeah... just not as much!
Natsu's able to snap free of Hayato's grasp, owing to that control. As she snaps back to her feet, she calls out to Aya, "T-thank you for the explanation! I meant to say that earlier..." But while she's talking to Aya, her goal is something else entirely -- Hayato's arm. And if she manages to complete that grab, she'll be whipping herself sharply to one side, tugging Hayato around like a discus so that he can run himself right into a -second- row of lockers. Wouldn't want them to feel jealous of all the battle damage, after all!
Teacher at Taiyo? For a moment, Aya actually looks uncertain, even... pained? She puts a hand to her forehead for a moment, grimacing. Maybe she took too hard a blow to the head from Hayato's complicated suplex-y technique earlier? Or maybe there's some other reason why trying to remember where she's seen someone like him before would make her head ache...
"I really hope you're in charge of home ec," Aya says to Hayato in a measured tone, given Natsu's response. Try to imagine Hayato in a frilly pink apron. Go on, try. We'll wait.
But then 'sensei' goes in for the, if not kill, then the seriously maim or injure on his student who's not actually his student. In Aya's eyes, Natsu acquits herself pretty well, all things considered. She's not going to think too hard about how this young woman -- this GIRL, really; she's still in high school! -- learned such techniques or why she's plying them on pay-per-view right now. Though she does plan to revisit this line of thinking in the future.
No; instead, she waits and sees how Ayuhara's technique pans out. If Hayato can't escape it, then he'll be in perfect position for Aya to snatch him out of the air (literally) and accelerate his aerial velocity into the floor rather than some ill-defined future wall stopping point. If not? She'll simply rush forward and attempt to grip the teacher by the arm and ippon seoi nage his pedagogical ass right into the floor.
COMBATSYS: Hayato blocks Natsu's Irish Whip.
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Aya 0/-------/--=====|====---\-------\0 Hayato
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Natsu 0/-------/--=====|
COMBATSYS: Hayato fails to interrupt Rebound Throw from Aya with Devastation Kick.
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Aya 0/-------/--=====|===----\-------\0 Hayato
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Natsu 0/-------/--=====|
Hayato gets grabbed and swung around again, but this time he's ready for it. He braces for impact and manages to drag his feet, slamming into the lockers but avoiding any actual property damage this time. Of course, it doesn't leave him much room to move when Aya comes rushing in at him. But when defense is impractical, there's always offense! Hayato jumps up as Aya comes at him, lashing out with a high kick. His burning spirit envelops his leg as he lashes out with a Big Boot... but Aya stubbornly refuses to run into it.
Instead she manages to slip past it and successfully grab Hayato by the arm. He's not exactly in any position to do much now, so it's pretty straightforward for Aya to slam him right into the floor. He grunts from the impact, shaking his head a few times as he starts shoving himself back to his feet. Looks a bit rattled, but he's not out of it yet!
What is that saying the Americans have? 'On the ropes'? It almost certainly comes from boxing but finds its fullest flower here in the wrestling arena, and it looks like while Aya and Natsu don't have Hayato beaten, but they've certainly got the Burning Teacher 'on the ropes'. "This 'slam' business is not so difficult," Aya says, treading her way back to the box of folding chairs and selecting one. "It seems all that is required is a lot of indiscriminate, graceless violence and a certain degree of incoherent shouting." There's a second while she actually looks somewhere between contrite and disappointed. "I feel as if I've truly failed the audience on that last part. Perhaps I will try to work some wild ululating into things before we're done here."
It seems like Aya is taking forever (relatively speaking) to find a chair she likes? But when she DOES, she selects it from the box as if she were lifting fissionable plutonium out of an active nuclear reactor. And is talking to Natsu the entire time. "Did you know, Ayuhara-kun, that there is another tradition of this 'slam' I read about? I believe you may have heard of it."
She gives the Gorin student a meaningful look, then turns to Hayato with a faint smile. "I believe it is called the 'tag team'."
And then she's gone.
Moving with all the swiftness she can muster, the Hazuki heir is actually streaking across the floor toward Hayato *with the chair held at her side just like a sheathed blade*. In point of fact, it looks like she's intending to dash right PAST Hayato without even attacking him... which is mostly illusory. Why?
The second she closes into his guard, the path Aya ran suddenly erupts with green whorls of turbulent wind chi, which sweep toward Hayato like an improvised hurricane. At the same time, Aya bellows "TAG!" and, with all her might, swings the chair at Hayato like a drawn sword. The intent is to smack him into the *wind* which then will send him flying right into the air...!
COMBATSYS: Hayato dodges Aya and Natsu's Summer Slam 2014.
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Aya 0/-------/---====|===----\-------\0 Hayato
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Natsu 0/-------/---====|
"... Another... tradition?" asks Natsu, looking over to Aya. "... Oh. I think I'd heard of that one!" She sees Aya disappear, and for one fleeting moment, she has a spark of an idea of something she can do with that.
And ... well. It means she leaps on top of the locker cabinets, all set to hop up once more and intercept whatever it is Aya's going to throw her way....
And waits. And frowns.
But on the plus side, Natsu finds the locker with her volleyball satchel, and pulls one out. Seemingly without care, she lobs one out into the floor. MOAR CHAOS?!
Hayato does manage to get himself back to his feet before Aya arrives, and it's a good thing. She comes rushing toward him, but nothing seems to happen for a moment... then the storm of wind and chi comes rushing toward him. Hayato's eyes widen, and he suddenly leaps away! He actually heads in Natsu's direction, but not actually close enough for her to grab him. He does land close by, though, turning his head briefly to grin at Natsu. "That was a close one! Keep up the good work, as we move into the next lesson, aerial work! We don't have ropes here, but these lockers work well enough."
"There are plenty of variations, from doing kicks with added height, body splashes, or other options. Like so." And with that Hayato leaps out, flying toward Aya with arm extended. He attempts to snare her in a headlock as he falls, aiming to land on his back, while she ends up meeting the floor face first.
COMBATSYS: Aya blocks Hayato's Flying Bulldog.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////// ]
Aya 0/-------/-======|===----\-------\0 Hayato
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Natsu 0/-------/---====|
THIS time, she doesn't throw the chair away. Instead, she offers it up as a sacrifice to the slam gods. That is to say, when Hayato comes right at her for his... whatever the hell they're called, Aya long ago gave up on trying to remember any of these names... she basically holds the chair in his path and tenses up, trying to hold her ground. The result is... strange. Basically, instead of grabbing the young swordmistress, the Burning Teacher wrenches the chair out of her grasp as he continues his path onto the floor. The act of staying standing while he does so takes a toll on Aya; effectively, it twists her arms in all the wrong positions, a bit like a weak twisting arm bar, but it's better than getting bulldog'ed or husky'ed or saint bernard'ed or whatever. Freakin' moonspeak.
She'd really like to just keep going, throwing even more attacks at Hayato, but the truth is that this wrestling thing is rather more energetic than Aya herself is used to. Battoujutsu, after all, is about making decisive, planned strikes, not about a continual onslaught of attacks. So instead she takes a moment and shakes her hands out, rolls her neck, and generally speaking prepares herself for the second phase of this battle.
COMBATSYS: Aya gains composure.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////// ]
Aya 0/-------/--=====|===----\-------\0 Hayato
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Natsu 0/-------/---====|
Natsu is... pretty dang high up on those lockers. She nods back to Hayato, narrowing her eyes to keep track of whatever the gym teacher is hoping to demonstrate! She... might just ask if he can transfer to Gorin if he's going to keep doing hands-on training like this.
It's easy to think that, anyway... from a position of safety. But... perhaps safety is -not- the right place to be! Hayato would not be pleased if she were to just lob the volleyballs she'd thrown out as an afterthought... this is SLAMFEST, not VOLLEYBALLFEST!
"I... I think I'm starting to get it, Sensei..." she offers as she leaps down. But it's not feet-first -- she's copying a move she saw from one of Sakura's fight tapes.
Musasabi no NATSU, one might say, as she flies off the locker, arms outstretched like a bird -- though instead of trying to hit Hayato with... ninjutsu, she tries to hit him with her outstretched arm, possibly to catch him in the shoulder as recompense for earlier!
COMBATSYS: Hayato dodges Natsu's Heavy Clothesline.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////// ]
Aya 0/-------/--=====|===----\-------\0 Hayato
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Natsu 0/-------/-----==|
Hayato looks up as Natsu calls out, and nods in approval. "That's it!" And then as she actually leaps, "Good form!" Of course, it still takes a moment before she actually manages to fall far enough to land on Hayato. It'd probably cause him some issues if Natsu came crashing down on him, so Hayato takes the moment he has to step out of the path of her descent. He could just let her continue on to slam into the ground now, but once she sees that she's not going to land on her target, she'll probably have an opportunity to break her fall.
And while this might be an educational opportunity, it /is/ also a fight. And nobody's going to learn by having an opponent take it easy on them! So Hayato doesn't get /too/ far out of the way, reaching out to grab Natsu as she comes falling down, trying not to give her a chance to even hit the floor. Instead he swings her around with the intent of slamming her right into the lockers. People are probably going to be annoyed later on, trying to get their things out of all these damaged lockers.
COMBATSYS: Natsu endures Hayato's Audacious Slam.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Aya 0/-------/--=====|===----\-------\0 Hayato
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Natsu 0/-------/-======|
Natsu grits her teeth as Hayato moves out of her way -- she never did pay attention to how that one fighter had managed to get out of this. At any rate, she's a damn good volleyball player and knows how to get out of a slam like this without getting too hurt... but Hayato's there snagging her out of midair anyway.
It is today that Natsu learns the perils of overcommitting.
Hoisted around by Hayato's grab, Natsu chooses NOW to buck up and brace for impact. She doesn't try to break free, or lessen the blow, instead she goes with the flow, letting herself be slammed into the lockers so hard it actually pries one of the locker doors open.
And now that it IS open... she finds Hayato's close proximity to provide an interesting opportunity, as she grabs for his head and aims to slam it into the open door. This might be a little loud, folks!
"Well I don't get it at all," says Aya Hazuki, killjoy. She's really done her level best to try and get into the spirit of this. She did her research! She brought the stupid chairs! She's gotten body slammed a couple times and she ran on lockers like a ninja and everything. And Natsu, you know, she's making the effort, but Aya can tell: she's restraining her instincts. And some tiny voice(*) in Aya's head is telling her, right now: maybe restraining her instincts is bad.
"Maybe it is not we who must become slam, Ayuhara-kun," Aya says aloud, sounding rather too philosophical and reflective. "Perhaps... we were always slam, the entire time."
What does that even mean, woman.
"Right. Time to do this my way." There's a metallic *CLANG!* as Aya grabs another folding chair out of the box and holds it at her side. "I hope you'll understand, Hayato-san, that I am not really an auditory learner. Lectures don't help me much."
With a sweep of the... chair... the air between Aya and Hayato suddenly flash-freezes, a line of jagged ice crystals erupting from the ground in a line between them, looking to basically freeze Hayato in place. HOWEVER: Aya's not done. With an inarticulate "HNNNNRAGH!" (just like she promised) the swordmistress throws the folding chair onto the top of the ice and leaps onto it, using the forward momentum to basically surf across her own attack until she reaches where Hayato is (regardless of whether the ice held him fast or not). Leaping off the chair, she drops toward the teacher's shoulders, looking to land on them knees-first and then flip backward, slamming him directly into the ice towers that remain in the process.
(* Frei)
COMBATSYS: Aya blitzes into action and acts again!
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Aya 0/-------/--=====|===----\-------\0 Hayato
[ \\\\\\\\\\\ <
Natsu 0/-------/-======|
COMBATSYS: Natsu successfully hits Hayato with Light Random Weapon.
+=+=!= Power Slam! =!=+=+
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Aya 0/-------/---====|=====--\-------\0 Hayato
[ \\\\\\\\\\\ <
Natsu 0/-------/-======|
COMBATSYS: Hayato dodges Aya's Hyouga.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Aya 0/-------/---====|=====--\-------\0 Hayato
[ \\\\\\\\\\\ <
Natsu 0/-------/-======|
COMBATSYS: Hayato counters Audacious Slam from Aya with Counter Thrust.
[ \\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Aya 1/------=/=======|=======\-------\0 Hayato
[ \\\\\\\\\\\ <
Natsu 0/-------/-======|
Perhaps it's adrenaline, but more likely it's the power of the SLAM surging through Natsu. When she slams Hayato into the open locker door, his head impacts with not only enough force to snap the door right off the hinges, but to actually leave a head-shaped indentation in the door, and the door of the locker behind it. Hayato actually has to wrench his head out of the bank of lockers by shoving against it with his hands. He starts to praise Natsu, but gets distracted by Aya surfing in toward him on waves of ice.
Getting frozen in place doesn't seem like a good idea, so Hayato leaps into the air, sending him sailing toward Aya while she comes gliding in toward him, riding on her folding chair. The camera crew is completely on the ball here, making sure to carefully track the action as the two fighters draw close, and Hayato swings his arm up. With collision imminent, Hayato brings his hand down in a swift chop, letting both his and Aya's momentum contribute to the force behind the blow.
What is SLAM? Well, Ayuhara can't really listen to MOST of what Aya says, considering her head is still ringing from her OWN ATTACK. It was that loud, folks! Natsu staggers off to the side, one hand going to her ears as Hayato lets go of her. "WHAAAT? WE WERE ALWAYS WHAAAT?!" she shouts back, not realizing that her temporary condition is also blowing her sense of her own voice out of proportion as well.
But then Aya comes rocketing down on a train of her own ice... what in the world? Natsu leaps out of the way, shielding herself with the side of the row of lockers so that she doesn't get iced. And ... she waits, waits... and then as Hayato chops with his hand, Ayuhara is right there and ready for him -- hoping to lace her arms behind him and immobilize the speedy sensei! Maybe now... she can set up an attack for her partner to SLAM into him! "COME ON, LET'S DO THIS!" she cheers on at unbearably loud volume!
I guess since Hayato is a teacher, it makes sense that Aya is getting 'schooled' as the Americans say? He's delivered attack after attack with impunity, and she hasn't been able to so much as touch him the entire fight. Consider that she compressed a considerable assault into a short span of time, and Hayato not only wove around it, but struck back so hard that she's sent flying into lockers on the opposite side of the room and slumps to the ground, not even looking like she's conscious for a moment or two before staggering to her feet.
So it might make some sense that over time, she has become less and less interested in 'slam' and more and more interested in merely making an attack stick to the Taiyo gym teacher for a change. The chairs clearly aren't doing it for her as a weapon, and she's attempted all the grappling techniques she knows.
But be it pride or stubbornness that drives her, she's probably not in the best emotional state right now. And the truth is, there are thoughts in her head that are leading her down a path right now that would... not be a good path.
This is probably why, weirdly, she seems to stare blankly ahead for a second, and then her head leans very far backwards, as if she were about to fall over. When it suddenly snaps forward again, though, her expression... has changed? There's definitely something different. And, oh right: her normally dark brown hair has, somehow, shifted a rather rich shade of dark red.
"Okay," says Aya's voice. "Maybe it's better if I take over for a bit."
And then she's swiftly dancing her way across the room, through the broken remnants of lockers and tables, dancing around weightlifting equipment, headed for where Natsu is attempting to lock him in place for her.
Whether that succeeds or not, though, what Aya does next is... well. She gets in close and then basically appears to firebend like this is an episode of Korra, her arms both ghosted by the sudden appearance of spectral, muscular man-arms made entirely out of fire that she more or less attempts to powerbomb Hayato with. The fire is probably the most dangerous part, however. Because it's fire.
COMBATSYS: Hayato blocks Natsu's Resting Hold.
[ \\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Aya 1/------=/=======|=======\=------\1 Hayato
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Natsu 0/-------/-======|
COMBATSYS: Aya successfully hits Hayato with Futsu no Mitama.
[ \\\\\\\\\ < > ////////// ]
Aya 1/-----==/=======|=======\==-----\1 Hayato
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Natsu 0/-------/-======|
Hayato pounds a fist into the floor as he rises back to his feet, feeling his burning spirit running through him. A real challenge makes things better! He manages to keep Natsu from getting a good grip on him by twisting away, but it's not quite enough to keep her from holding him more or less in place for a few moments. And that's all that's really needed. Aya gets close enough to grab him with arms of fire, hefting him up into the air and then powerbombing him into the floor. With flames.
But the teacher still manages to drag himself back to his feet afterwards. "I think you're both getting the hang of things." He grins, twisting a bit and feeling something pop in his back. "So now let's just see who can win this thing!" He rushes back in toward Aya, one arm extended in an attempt to slam into her neck as he hooks her, then sends her crashing to the floor.
COMBATSYS: Aya dodges Hayato's Medium Lariat.
[ \\\\\\\\\ < > ////////// ]
Aya 1/-----==/=======|=======\==-----\1 Hayato
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Natsu 0/-------/-======|
So Natsu didn't get to hold onto Hayato for very long -- but that's not to say she didn't accomplish anything! She still created an opening for Aya to lift him up and powerbomb him, so... awesome!
Natsu was really hyped up before, but now as the battle drags on... well, this IS Natsu's first fight against someone who wasn't either (a) a bully or (b) Sakura, so... she's kind of at a loss for what's supposed to come next? She does catch sight of Aya planning something ... monumentally cool though, so with a faint smirk, the volleyballer just tries her turn as a heel. Kicking one foot right at the back of Hayato's knee, hopefully to set him up for whatever Aya's got planned!
Wracked with guilt, she calls out in mid-kick, "I'm sorry!"
Yeah, Natsu's not really cut out for heel turns.
Here's the nice thing about arms made out of fire: they're kinda not your arms. That means if you're controlling BOTH sets of arms, when you've got the fire arms to be doing what the real arms would normally be doing, you just... let the fire arms do their thing and make yourself scarce. This is effectively what Aya(?) does: the second it looks like her suddenly incendiary grip is sending Hayato into the floor, she pulls back a bit, disengaging from her previous attack. Thus when the Burning Sensei is suddenly attempting to be in her space, Aya herself is not in her space... or something like that. She's already backflipping away, Hayato's arm sails right over where she just was.
Coming to a stop a foot or two away, the newly red-haired Aya looks down at herself and blinks, seemingly confused by what happened. "That was... kinda cool. Didn't know I could do that." What? Now she's just talking crazy.
Weighing her options, Aya glances at Natsu, who has been trying to give her clean openings the entire fight, sometimes at risk to her own position. Considering this carefully, watching the line of the volleyball maven's attack, Aya seems to come to a decision, then snatches yet another folding chair from the crate before turning and dashing straight at Hayato, looking to knock him right into the air with a from-below, golf-style swing of the chair. There's every indication that this is just the beginning, though!
It doesn't 100% explain why Aya shouts "FORE!" while she does it, however. That part doesn't seem to fit.
COMBATSYS: Natsu successfully hits Hayato with Short Kick.
COMBATSYS: Hayato refuses to stay down!
[ \\\\\\\\\ < > //////// ]
Aya 0/-------/------=|=======\===----\1 Hayato
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Natsu 0/-------/=======|
COMBATSYS: Aya successfully hits Hayato with Amakaze.
[ \\\\\\\\\ < > //// ]
Aya 0/-------/------=|=======\=====--\1 Hayato
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Natsu 0/-------/=======|
The rest of Aya's attack happens so quickly, it's not entirely certain the cameramen can catch it all. The swing sends the Burning Sensei skyward, and Aya *immediately* throws the chair up into the air after him, then... vanishes?! When she reappears, it's *ABOVE* Hayato and the chair. She catches the later, spins, then literally kicks it at him, sending both directly at the ground, before vanishing a *second time*. The final appearance Aya makes is on the ground, where another folding chair -- the one she was surfing on -- has been abandoned until now. Snatching it up, she then uses it to meet Hayato's descent with one final, baseball-style swing to send him flying across the room.
Natsu is right to apologize! Her foot slams into the back of Hayato's knee and his leg buckles, sending him dropping to one knee. This leaves him wide open for Aya to launch him into the air with a heavy chair strike. He flies up toward the ceiling, only to be met by Aya coming in the other direction. She kicks the chair into him, sending him right back down toward the floor... only to be met by Aya once again! The chair continues to be used to good effect, with a swing sending Hayato flying across the lockerroom.
Hayato still has just enough fight in him to try one last thing, though! He manages to hit the far well feet first, and then spring off, getting plenty of air... and then twisting himself to fall back toward Aya, leading with his elbow! Once he falls from this, though, is he going to be able to get back up?! Probably not!
COMBATSYS: Hayato can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\ <
Aya 0/-------/------=|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Natsu 0/-------/=======|
COMBATSYS: Hayato successfully hits Aya with Extreme High Spot.
[ \\ <
Aya 0/-------/-======|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Natsu 0/-------/=======|
Two things happen, relatively closely to each other:
1.) Aya finishes her swing, throws the chair away, and manages to say "Well... that was a nice change of pace," before she slumps forward, like a puppet whose strings have been cut. There's a brief moment of silence, before she straightens, looking... well, confused, and decidedly not a ginger anymore either. She seeks out Natsu with her gaze, and begins the question "What just ha--"
2.) Hayato plows into her at high speed, slamming the woman into the lockers on the far wall, where she drops like an unconscious rock and does not get back up.
Hayato briefly tries to rise, then collapses back to the floor. "Oof... Good work. This, then... would be the bit where you pin your opponent..." He manages to lift his head up enough to look around a little bit, some confusion crossing his face. "I... we never actually had a ref though, did we?" Then he slumps back down to the floor.
Natsu frowns as her kick seems to be the straw that breaks the camel's back! Or Hayato's. One of those! She hops backwards, dropping her arms low in a volleyballer's ready stance. Which is remarkably close to a wrestler's ready stance, as luck would have it.
Winded, Ayuhara nevertheless is not a quitter -- she's ready to give it her all, 100%! ... But her concern for her partner, and even for her opponent, gives her pause. She could easily go -all out- and brutal on Hayato, and she's pretty sure he'd be okay with that, but...
Well, while she deliberates all that, probably contextualizing it all into the framework of a volleyball match that she's actually familiar with, Aya's swinging the chair like a baseball bat. Not unlike she did earlier! And Hayato's attacking Aya, not her. She'd finally decided, yes, Slamfest needs more slam! ... And then Hayato falls over and verbally coaches her into the next thing to do.
"Uh... right!" And without further ado, the tall volleyball player crouches down beside Hayato, pinning him down with her hand on his chest.
And for lack of a ref, she just shrugs. "I think we can be forgiven just this once..." And slaps the floor one, two, three!
... The locker room got -awfully- quiet, though.
"... hello?"
"... Uh... helloooooooo? We... we have injured people here..."
Log created on 16:17:09 11/15/2014 by Hayato, and last modified on 18:09:54 11/17/2014.